Archive for May, 2012

A week had passed since we reclaimed Bluetone Productions. There had been no sight of any new zeds or any of Chyram’s “Cultists” but after talking with Jammer in the aftermath of the attack, I have come to believe the girls word.

“Jammer, have you heard anything about a group called Paladin?” I asked

“Yeah, a little. They were a pre-Outbreak strike force Why?” the DJ responded

“Well, they aren’t exactly ‘pre-Outbreak’ anymore, I…” I began

“Wait, you’re telling me they are out there right now? Why aren’t they helping us get rid of the walkers and rebuild society?” Jammer asked, pulling out a pencil and pad of paper, taking notes

“Well, because they are working for the Government inside the Green Zone, trying to wipe out survivors who are building a name for themselves. Before I found FEMA, I ran into quite a few teams, wiped out a lot of my former contacts. I’m trying to find out why they are trying to eliminate survivors.”

“Can you describe what survivors should look out for?”

God, this is like a debriefing all over again… I thought before responding

“They usually travel in squads of two, but I’ve seen squads as big as 6. Wear all black SWAT team armor, and are armed to the teeth with weapons that are nearly impossible to find outside the Green Zone or for an arm and a leg at the ATCO markets. Sometimes they are hard to track though. They were trained by the KGB, CIA, MI6 and lord knows what other pre-Outbreak intelligence agencies.”

“Do you have any other information on them that I could pass to my listeners, now that we have the station back up and running?”

I slid him a copy of the file from the FEMA Archives. After he read through it, he nodded and excused himself. I rose and shook his hand. Gathering my team, we left Bluetone to move on to the next big find.

“Night, where are we off to now?” Pink asked, coming up beside me

I looked at her and smiled “We’re off to see the wizard.”

She looked at me incredulously “WHAT? What are you talking about?”

Laughing, I answered “What I mean is, we’re off to find a mode of transportation. We’re going hunting for more info. Just trust me on this one.”

Its a grim reality, but sometimes, amid all the walkers and raiders, we get into fights with other survivors. We duel not because we want to, but because we have to. There are some who duel for the joy of it, but when you have to fight to stay alive, competing for supplies, it gets tough to keep straight friend from foe. Sometimes, whole safe houses wage all out war against each other, and its times like this where it is best to have as much combat training as possible. FEMAs own Brian S has created a general list of ways to improve your duel score so that when you find yourself getting farmed, you can retaliate and have a fighting chance.

Raising duel scores:
You can only duel someone 5 levels away from your overall level. Hence if you have a low duel score compared to most people in that group. You are hanging a big fat target on yourself.
The most immediate thing you can do is buy all the weapons and armor. You will note each has a duel score, and everything being equal, if he has all the toys and you don’t his score is higher.
As you can, you should level each weapon to its max. The increase in duel score is not much for each weapon/level but cumulatively it adds up to quite a bit.
Most time consuming but probably most important is duel, duel, duel. The only way to raise your duel skill level is to duel, and your duel level is a major factor in your duel score.
How you do this is a matter of personal preference, and I’ve listed the two most popular strategies below. Regardless as to which method you choose if you are working on leveling up your dueling score you will need to ease up on hunting since that will raise your overall level and the goal is to keep your skill levels near your overall level. Also you may find yourself starting with one and switching over to the other as the situation changes.

Method 1, duel toughs:
Preferred method for people whose major concern is needing to level duel as quickly as possible. I did this when I first joined FEMA since I had a overall level of 20 and a duel level of 1.
Concept: you only get +1 to duel skill when you duel evens and favorables (win or lose) but you get +2 when if you win against a tough. Hence if you battle a lot of toughs you will level more quickly with the occasional 2s you will get.
Down side. Your going to lose most duels so you should not keep any cash or supplies on hand because you will lose more than you will win. You can either donate to safe house or buy cheep outposts to work on your trader skill. Also for some people who like to be on the leader boards. Your win loss rate will suffer quite a bit.

Method 2,hit favorables:
Slow and steady wins the race. Also much more profitable. I use this more often now that I’m closer to my overall level since there are much fewer toughs out there.
Concept: may as well make some money while I’m doing this, and my win ration will be awesome.
While you do level a little slower than with method 1, your still getting 1 for every duel. Can be particularly useful if you scavenge, build up some supplies and then go dueling.
You can then use your supplies to level up weapons, buy bars, or buy more expensive outposts.

“Jogman, Pink, Keysha, Bryan, lets move. I hear a vehicle up ahead.” I said, and we began to move forward, sticking to cover as much as we could.

We had originally come to Toronto searching for supplies, but as soon as we entered the city, we picked up a distress call from Bluetone Productions, they were under attack by Zombies. Getting our gear ready, we set out to find the radio station.

“NIGHT, GET DOWN!” Pink yelled, shoving me out of the way, as a shotgun blast hits the wall behind me. In a flash, everyone is in front of Pink and I, guns trained on the assailant.

“I’m sorry, I thought you were well someone else. Did anyone get hit?” the girl asked

“Pinkertonb5, easy, no one was hurt. We’re all a little jumpy, seeing how there are far too few living among the dead, right friend?” I said, looking at the girl in the bed of the truck.

She’s so young…what is she doing out here? She knows how to handle a gun, but not under stress, so she definitely isn’t Paladin, or even formally trained. Probably just another survivor turned commando. Still, she looks like she has seen her share of battles, we will have to keep an eye on her, just in case…

I raised my gun on her while she wasn’t looking, and the sense of fear in her eyes intensified.

“Easy now, we don’t want anyone to make any other sudden mistakes, just take a deep breath. Nobody here wants to hurt you.” I said. She’s more nervous than scared… that’s good, we can work with nervous.

*chh-chk*

Everyone’s gun shifted to the cab of the truck, where a… monster, for lack of a better term, was pointing a gun at us. At the sound of his… her… its gun cocking, everyone but myself looked to the beast and they were all ready to take the shot to put it down if need be.

“Alright, alright! Hold it. You say you aren’t here to hurt anyone. Fine, then what do you want?” the girl asked

My eyes stayed locked on her, watching for any sign that may signal that she was lying to me, or that she was signaling the Paladin hit squad that may have been waiting for us in the shadows. A little paranoia never hurt, as long as it was controlled paranoia.

“We’re passing through looking for a radio station that’s supposed to be broadcasting in this direction. Do you know the location?” I asked the girl as politely as possible, given the circumstances.

Her expression soured “Not sure I can help you, friend. Who sent you?”

Laughing to myself, I nodded at the girl she isn’t dumb, that’s for sure… “We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot here. I’m Night Angel, and this is my team. We’re just looking for information, that’s all…”

“You mean you’re looking to see if there are any survivors of the Cult attack so you can finish them off like the last of your troop who came through?” she interjected, in a very coarse and accusatory manner.

Pink and I exchanged a look which was shared by a few other members of the troop as Jogman piped up and said “Wait did she just say Cult? Night Angel what the fuck is going on here?”

I shook my head and motioned for him to be quiet.

“You’re one of them aren’t you? The hit squads being sent out from the Green Zone to slaughter those of us who are not just surviving, but managing to thrive?” the girl asked

I raised my fist, telling the team to lower their weapons, before turning my attention back to the girl. “We are not a part of Paladin but clearly you have either seen or heard of them. Well armed men in black uniforms, geared beyond what most out here have? Perhaps you’ve seen even government documentation mentioning them?”

It was a long shot, but maybe, just maybe this girl and her pet would have information we could use. We’d been away from home for a week going on two and were ready to head back empty handed. Maybe, just maybe this girl has some useful intel…

She nodded her head “I’ve seen a few scraps and had a dust up with two once, but mostly they leave me alone. Most of what I know I’ve heard from others. I don’t think that the Green Zone feels I’m a serious enough threat given that I got my hands full as is with the Cult.”

Jogman interrupted her “Again, Cult, what the hell are you talking about woman?” before Pink could silence him and remind him that I handle questioning new contacts out in the field.

The girl looks at Jogman and replies rather tersely “There’s been a fanatical Cult that has formed. They are creating zees among their followers. They’re being led by a man named Charles Wagner. The group recently performed an organized and planned attack on Bluetone Productions, the radio station you’re looking for. In fact we’re trying to get back there now with the equipment needed to put her back on the air. Jammer’s waiting for us but they’re surrounded by a force of fifty to a hundred zees easy. That’s what is left over from the attack.”

I sighed “A Cult… great. This is news to us, but we have been focused primarily on Paladin. Brian, that dish looks pretty rough, go take a look at it, is it still serviceable?”

Brian walked up to the truck and hopped in back with the girl. After a few moments of silent inspection, he reported back. “I don’t know sir. I don’t think it will work again. The dish is cracked and I think some of the wiring has been torn inside. Also this antenna looks like it’s been bent all to hell and back. I think that all its good for now would be spare parts.”

This is getting old fast, and I’m starting to get frustrated… “Alright, we need into Bluetone. They might have information and they can spread our broadcast if we need it. None of that will matter if they don’t have a usable dish. I assume you’re taking this crap there because something happened to the one they had?”

“Yeah, the Cult happened, they tore the old one down.” She said, wrinkling her face in disgust

“That is a very organized and focused attack. I can see how this Cult has your concern. Keysha get on the radio and contact the base.” I said, turning to the woman. “See if Furie will authorize us shipping out a dish here for Bluetone. Thomas has been taking stock in the RnD labs. He’ll have the best idea of what’s surplus for us.” Keysha nodded, stepping aside and turning on the radio.

“Furie? It’s Keysha. We’ve found someone who can put us into contact with the Radio station, but they are in need of a new dish. Can you get Thomas to check storage, see if we have a radio dish we can ship this way?”

“Let me find him and see what we’ve got in stock. Give me a few minutes” came her reply.

“Of course that doesn’t solve the problem Bluetone is in. We’ll come in and help you clear out the entrance. Should be enough of us for that if there is some decent cover?” I asked the girl, choosing to ignore her pet all together. I knew that if it came charging at us or started shooting us, Pink and Jogman would have it on the ground dead before it could do too much damage.

“I think so, if we approach from the south and take to the roofs. Also we can let them know we’re coming ahead of time. They have speakers and can draw the attention to the front.” the girl responded, clearly unhappy that we were taking charge of the situation.

“Alright, let’s get you folks back home and then I’d like to hear more about this Cult. Brian, break out the stealth field generators. We need two for these people. There are bound to be some rotters roaming the streets, and the faster we can get to the station, the better.” I said

“I’m actually not from Bluetone. I’m Chyram from Terry Fox, and my companion is from Sharks Tattoos. We were coming to check on Bluetone after contact was lost. Ezekiel from KSAT-TV sent us.” the girl told us

I looked at her friend Sharks Tattoos… does that mean that there are more people out there like this one… we may have to be more careful now… “A television station as well? Keysha pass on that information, we need to pick up that signal and monitor for any information on Paladin.”

Keysha nodded her head and went back to talking for a few moments before responding, “Furie has cleared the transfer. She’s going to have Thomas prep the equipment and crate it properly so there’s no damage in transportation. She’s going to send Jack Diesel and VonGravy with one of the old relief trucks with it. Should be here in about 3 days. ”

“You should probably know that as soon as they come back on air Bluetone will be a target again, either by the Cult or Paladin. They have repelled at least three government attacks.” The girl, Chyram, replied.

I looked at her and smiled “Keysha, have Furie send Djbooya and Minixie as well as some ammo, supplies and SFG’s. If this Jammer has as much info as I think he has, he may need our help defending his station.” I turned to the two in the truck “Ready to go put down some dead?”

Upon our reaching the destination, Chyram contacted Jammer, only to have the headset taken by Keysha.

“Jammer, this is Keysha of FEMA Region 6. We’re here to help you reclaim your station. We are on the roof of a building on the south side of the station, if you can draw the zeds to this side, we can help you take them out.”

Moments later, an all too familiar song started playing on the loudspeakers

All of us exchanged smiles before the first of the zeds started to show up around the corner of the building. “Its showtime FEMA. Let’s do this.” I said, before taking aim and squeezing off shot after shot, systematically hitting zeds left and right, dropping them like flies. After I had squeezed off two shots, Pink joined in, after four, Jogman, we were staggering our shots so that we could continually keep pressure on the advancing horde.

After a few minutes, the dust had settled, and we made our way to the front doors of Bluetone Productions, picking off any crawlers as we went. As we reached the front doors, a man strode out with a grin on his face and a rifle on his shoulder.

“Jammer? I’m Night Angel of FEMA Region 6. I’d like to inform you that we have a new dish, some supplies, and a few extra troops heading this way to help you defend your station, if you want them. They will be here in about a week.”

The man’s smile disappeared. “That’s not quite what I wanted to hear, but I’ll take it anyway. What can I do to repay you?” He asked.

“I’m in need of information, information I’m hoping you may have, or be able to acquire. Ever heard of a group called Paladin?”

“So what do you have for me Deadly? These ‘Paladins’ are what killed the majority of my squad after the Outbreak. I intend to make these bastards pay.” I said, as we walked downstairs.

“Well, simply put, its information showing that Paladin was formed shortly before the Outbreak, by order of the President of the United States, to hunt down and terminate threats to the government. I’m assuming that shortly after the Outbreak, the group was re-purposed, given the task to hunt down and terminate survivors.”

When we got to the archives, Deadly handed me a folder “This contains all the information the original FEMA members had on Paladin. It’s not much, but its a start.”

I started sifting through the file. The first page summed up all I needed to know.

“Paladin is a black operations group dedicated to the eradication of threats to the American people. These threats can include, but are not limited to Terrorism (eco, religious or otherwise), International security threats, as well as National crises or disasters. They receive training in multiple forms of martial arts, as well as specialized weapons training. In times of distress, they will be deployed to regain control and help keep the peace. They will be granted emergency powers in the event of governmental distress, and will be above all but the President him or herself, and will only take orders from the desk of the President, wheresoever that may be.”

Official Government Document, do not reproduce

Probably the most disturbing thing about the whole paper was that it bore the Presidential seal.

The folder contained more documents detailing the specifics of a “Paladin’s” training, diet, and where all the local Paladin training grounds were.

“A Paladin will be an exemplar of what humanity should strive to be. They will be in peak physical and mental condition, and will be trained in pairs. They will be expected to live, train and be together until they are like one mind. They will be the countries elite fighting force, putting all others to shame.”

“Deadly… We need to find a way to lure these ‘Paladins’ out into the open, on our terms. I have a few questions for them.”

After about an hour of moving through the alleys we made it back to base. We arrive to Furie and Doc waiting to give us our inspection, and upon entering the room, their guns are on Vicktor.

“Who’s this?” Furie asks

“This is the guy who helped us get out of there with our lives. I vouch for him.” Pink and I say in unison. Furie looks at us, then lowers her gun.

“Alright, that’s good enough for me, lets get this over with.”

Doc begins examining us for wounds, bite or bullet, and gives us all an energy drink. “This is a new recipe I’m developing, designed to give you all the energy, but none of the side effects. You all are clean from grievous wounds, nothing a few pain pills wont fix. Report to the confrence room on sublevel 3 for the Debrief. Dismissed.”

We cracked open our drinks and chugged them down, feeling the strength and energy coming back to us almost immediately. “It tastes like… grape soda?” Pink says, looking at Doc “How’d you manage that?”

“Easy, I took some scavenged Grape soda, isolated the flavorings and added them to my energy supplement formula.” He said, smiling. “I have a feeling this will hit big if we sell it on the black market.” He turns to me and asks “Next time you go out, if you happen to find some other flavors of soda, and could bring even one can back, I may even be able to create more flavors.”

“I’ll see what we can find, but we have to put the needs of the Safe House first…” I looked at the scientist, a sad look coming across his face “…but I think I know a few places we could hit up that may have something of use to you.”

“Gang, I have some news for ya.” Deadly said, looking at me in particular. “We’ve dug up some info on Paladin. The Records in sublevel 8 have some information on them.”

“Let’s go.” I responded “The debriefing can wait. Vic, you are welcome to stay as long as you wish, for now, please stay here so you can be properly introduced. Deadly, show me what you found.”

We headed down to sublevel 8 “Deadly, what kind of info are we talking about?”

“So Vicktor, how did you come to be in America? Did the KGB have you on a mission here, or did you defect?” Pink asked, as we were moving through the back alleys of Denton trying to make it back to base.

“KGB sent me in to investigate why CIA and other American intelligence agencies went dark. Outbreak happened only a few weeks after I arrived in America. I tried to contact KGB officials, but they had gone dark as well. Days ago I got communication from other KGB agent saying they put out burn notice on all agents before going dark. I fled, found myself here.” Vicktor said, effortlessly moving through the alleys.

“So why help us?” I asked

He looked at me and said “Because you are the closest thing to KGB still out there that isn’t trying to kill me.”